1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a waterproof connector, and more particularly, to a waterproof connector is provided which does not incur problems in the mounting operation of terminal fittings.
2. Description of Background Information
A waterproof connector 100 disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication (Kokai) Hei No. 5-326066 is shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12. In the waterproof connector 100, a housing 103 is provided with cavities 102 capable of storing terminal fittings 101, and a waterproof member 104 made of an elastic material is mounted at the back of the housing 103. The waterproof member 104 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and its outer peripheral rim 105 is designed to be fitted in the back of the housing 103.
Further, electric wire insertion holes 106 permitting insertion of electric wires W are provided in the waterproof member 104, corresponding to the positions of the cavities 102. Portions formed smaller than the outer diameters of the electric wires W are provided in the inner diameters of the electric wire insertion holes 106, and a watertight structure is made by elastically contacting the smaller portions with the outer peripheral surface of the electric wires W.
A worker carries out the work of mounting the terminal fittings 101 in the housing 103 by orderly pushing the terminal fittings 101 where one end of the electric wires W is inserted into the electric wire insertion holes 106.
At the beginning of the mounting work of the terminal fittings 101, the electric wire insertion holes 106 have a uniform size inner diameter, and the work of inserting the terminal fittings 101 is carried out without problems.
However, the outer peripheral surface of the electric wires W push the inner walls of the electric wire insertion holes 106 outwardly as the mounting work proceeds. In addition, the outer peripheral rim 105 of the waterproof member 104 is adhered to the side wall 103A of the housing 103 and outward elastic deformation is prevented. Therefore, the remaining electric wire insertion holes 106 are deformed and narrowed by distortion. Accordingly, there has been a problem that the insertion operation of the remaining terminal fittings 101 becomes difficult to be complete.
The present invention was developed with the above-mentioned circumstances in mind, and an object is to provide a waterproof connector which does not incur problems in the mounting operation of the terminal fittings.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, according to one aspect of the present invention, a waterproof connector is provided that includes a first housing having a plurality of cavities capable of housing each of a plurality of terminal fittings which are connected with one end of electric wires. A waterproof member is assembled to the rear of the first housing, and is provided with a housing seal part for sealing a fitting part with a mating side housing, and the mating side housing is joined to the first housing. A wire seal part provides a seal for the respective electric wires, and a plurality of electric wire insertion holes are provided in the wire seal part which permit the respective electric wires to be inserted into the housing. The wire seal part also surrounds the electric wires to provide a watertight fit where the wires penetrate the wire seal part, and a clearance is provided about the periphery between the outer peripheral face of wire seal part and the housing seal part.
In another aspect of the present invention, the wire seal part and the housing seal part are formed as separate bodies.
In a further aspect of the present invention, the wire sealing part and the housing sealing part are formed of members having material characteristics different from each other, and the hardness of the wire sealing part is lower than that of the housing sealing part, and the two sealing parts are separately formed.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, the waterproof connector may include a cover having a recess, the cover being capable of hooking on the first housing and capable of receiving the wire seal part, and the cover being mountable from the rear side of the first housing. The wire seal part may include a large diameter part having a plurality of large diameter holes at the rear side of the wire seal part, and a small diameter part having a plurality of holes positioned more toward the front side than the large diameter part. The holes of the small diameter part having smaller hole diameters than that of the large hole diameter, and the holes of the small diameter part being smaller than the outer diameter of the electric wires provided in the insertion holes. The clearance is arranged around the small diameter part, and on the other hand, the peripheral surface of the large diameter part of the wire seal part is received inside of the recess.
When the terminal fittings connected to the electric wires are inserted in the electric wire insertion holes, they forcibly expand the electric wire insertion holes by pushing, and the material around the electric wire insertion holes is pushed outwardly. The influence expands and propagates to the surrounding electric wire insertion holes. Accordingly, when an escape area for the material is not provided around the wire seal parts, the electric wire insertion holes where no electric wires are inserted are narrowed by the material which is gradually pushed outwardly. However, according to an aspect of the present invention, since the clearance is provided around the periphery of the wire seal part, the deformation of the entire wire seal part can escape to the clearance. Thus, the deformation tending to narrow the electric wire insertion holes where no electric wires are inserted can be avoided.
Furthermore, since the wire seal part and the housing seal part are formed by separate bodies, according to another aspect of the present invention, the wire seal part and the housing seal part can be formed of different materials. For example, the wire seal part is preferably a softer material permitting the electric wire insertion work. On the other hand, as the housing seal part takes only the seal between the housings into consideration, a comparatively harder material is often desired. Accordingly, a waterproof member having a good usability can be made by separately forming the wire seal part and the housing seal part, and by forming them from materials corresponding to their respective properties.
Additionally, in another aspect of the present invention, when the electric wires are inserted in the electric wire insertion holes, the location where the small diameter part is provided in the wire seal part is likely to be elastically deformed outwardly. Therefore, a clearance is provided around the location where the small diameter part is provided, and contact of the housing seal part with the wire seal part in the area of the clearance is avoided. Further, as the surrounding portion of the large diameter part is received inside the recess, the positional deviation of the wire seal part is regulated.
According to a further aspect of the invention, a waterproof connector is provided that includes a housing having a plurality of cavities each capable of receiving a respective one of a plurality of terminal fittings connected with one end of electric wires and a waterproof member mountable on a rear end of the housing. The waterproof member includes a housing seal part that forms a seal with a fitting part of a corresponding mating side housing, and a wire seal part that forms a seal with the respective electric wires. The wire seal part includes a plurality of electric wire insertion holes extending therethrough in alignment with the cavities, the wire insertion holes permitting respective electric wires to pass therethrough and surrounding the electric wires to form a watertight connection with the wires. Additionally, a clearance is provided in at least a portion of a peripheral area between an outer peripheral face of the wire seal part and the housing seal part, wherein the clearance permits outward deformation of the wire seal part to maintain easy insertability of the terminal fittings and wires until insertion of all wires is complete.
In another aspect of the present invention, the waterproof member may further include a cover having a recess, the cover being mountable on the rear side of the housing with the recess receiving the wire seal part, and wherein the electric wire insertion holes each include a large diameter part in a rear portion of the wire seal part, and a small diameter part in a forward portion of the wire seal part. The clearance is provided around the forward portion of the wire seal part, and the rear portion of the wire seal part is snugly received within the recess in the cover.
In other aspects of the present invention the rear portion of the wire sealing part of the waterproof connector may be removably received within the recess, and the housing sealing part may be fixedly attached to the cover. Additionally, the wire sealing part and the housing sealing part may be formed of members having material characteristics different from each other, the wire sealing part may have a hardness that is lower than that of housing sealing part, and the wire seal part and the housing seal part may be formed as separate members. Moreover, the housing sealing part may be attached to the cover by at least one of unitary molding and adhesive.